


Currents

by SpratUniverse



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, There will be fluff, eventually that is, lapearl - Freeform, lapis lazuli/malachite (former relationship), opal is jasper's grandma, rose quartz/greg universe mention, rose quartz/pearl (former relationship, there will be more tags later probably, they gotta sort through some important issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-10-16 20:44:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10579155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpratUniverse/pseuds/SpratUniverse
Summary: After a suicide attempt, Lapis meets Pearl in a mental institute and for the first time in her life, actually wants to get better. However, some memories of both Pearl and Lapis just wont stay dead.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Tw: suicide attempt and mention of abusive ex (contains some swearing too)  
> Also if a section is surrounded by these marks (*) then it is a flashback

Laying in her bed, staring at the ceiling, she desperately tries to forget how he made her feel. It would be so much easier if she could just hate him but honestly she deserved every bit of what he did to her. It is a chore to steady her breathing but then again everything was a chore these days. The house is silent as usual but in her head, all she can hear is Malachite's voice. Taunting her. Mocking her. Making her wish that one of them had died that day. To her luck, neither of them died and now she's here. 

Alone in a house that hasn’t felt like home in years. Sometimes wishing that it had been her who died instead of her mom. Then maybe all this wouldn’t have happened and everybody would’ve been better off. Glancing over, the alarm clock read 5:32. Sighing, Lapis rolled out of bed and opened the curtains. As soon as she saw the sun’s dying rays, she suddenly remembered why she didn't open them anymore.

*Sitting outside on the roof of her house watching the sunset, Lapis saw a familiar mess of blonde hair struggling to keep his jacket on while refusing to stop and slow down long enough to make the process easier.

Laughing softly to herself, she called out,”Hey Malachite, you’re about to run into that tree.”

Stopping dead in his tracks, he looks up and blushes. “Uh hey Lapis. So I remembered that you said that you really love Panic! At The Disco and well they have a show here next week and I was wondering if you maybe possibly wanted to go to their concert with me?”

Biting her lip to keep from squealing with joy, “Sure. I’d love to!”*

Backing away from the window, tears blurred her vision as she tripped over her book bag. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar blue-green and black striped jacket buried in the bottom of her closet. Shaking, she bolted out of her room, down the stairs, and out of the house. Not sure where her feet were leading her, all she heard for the longest time was a dull thud of her bare feet on the harsh pavement. Finally she heard the familiar roar of traffic. *Bitch, whore, good for nothing cunt. Nobody will ever love you. Hell you’re lucky that you’ve got me to support your dumb ass.* Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she closed her eyes and stepped out in front of traffic. 

Hearing tires screech as she presumed the driver was trying to brake in time, Lapis felt someone tackle her moments before she felt a crushing pain in her left leg. Dizzy from the impact, she almost screamed when she saw a blonde crouching over her. As her vision focused on the blonde, she realized that the person’s hair was well kept and tucked behind their ears. Realizing that they weren’t the person she desperately wanted to hate and get away from, she managed to growl, “Don’t you know how to let people die in peace?”

“No Lapis. I don’t and I never will,” was all she heard before she passed out from the pain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: physical violence, relationship abuse, minor swearing  
> Again if a section is surrounded by these marks (*) then it is a flashback

"Lapis, you need to wake up, okay?"

Her eyelids feel heavy. Someone opens one then flashes a flashlight into it. It's time to wake up. After some effort, she finally manages to open her eyes. Everything around her seems to be white. She's is alone in the room with a nurse by her side. Through the window, she can see her father listening to a women who looked completely out of place with a cop by her side. It is obvious even in her current state of mind that he had been crying for quite some time. Focusing her attention back to her immediate surroundings, she notes that the room looks like her own to a scary degree and that there is a cast on her leg.

“Why am I here still,” Lapis asked the nurse, “And why is my dad talking to the lady outside?”

“Well Miss Lazuli, when the paramedics arrived they were told that you tried to commit suicide by stepping out into traffic and you’re a frequent patient here so we had to call CPS to make sure that everything is alright at home.”

*“Now you’re just lying to yourself, stop being so naïve!” Malachite said as he kicked her again. “Just accept the fact that you are a prisoner of your own hate and end this.” Lapis’ blood begun to boil with anger at each word that he said. She threw another punch then another, one after the other over and over again until she couldn’t breathe properly.

“I hate you so much.” Lapis whispered, her chest moved with her rapid breathing.

“You hate me because you know I am right Lapis, you just don’t want to accept the fact that you are once again a prisoner. But this time it is even worse because you have become your own prisoner.” Malachite said quietly, staring down at her bruised face.*

“Everything is fine at home,” Lapis screamed at the nurse, “And who the fuck said I tried to commit suicide?”

“I’m sorry Lapis Lazuli but it is standard procedure that the hospital has to follow,” the woman from outside said calmly, “Also they can not divulge that information and your father has agreed to surrender custody of you to the state while he undergoes an investigation. Again standard procedure.”

Once again a prisoner. Am I doomed to be prisoner to everyone I meet? No! I refuse. I will make them my prisoner before I ever allow them to imprison me, thought Lapis as she scowled darkly at the lady.

“I will return tomorrow afternoon since the doctors wish to keep you for overnight observation. Then you will spend some time over at West Hills. I’m sure you’re very familiar with it. By then we will know if you will be allowed to go back home with your father or if we will need to place you in a foster family.”

“Whatever,” Lapis rolled her eyes.

True to her word, the lady was there the next day to pick Lapis up. Walking in silence down a bunch of corridors, they finally found the nurses’ desk. Motioning for her to wait right there, the social worker filled out the discharge paperwork so that she could leave. Sighing in defeat, she sat down in the closest empty seat she could find and rested her forehead against the cool metal of her crutches. The room was crowded. Thinking to herself, “Man people must love getting hurt this week or something.” The strange thought somehow made her smile a bit until she noticed a tall, slender and presumably female wearing a black hoodie talking to one of the nurses and had mentioned her name.

“So someone was admitted the other day for a broken leg from stepping out into traffic. Her name is Lapis Lazuli. I was wondering how she is doing,” the person asked.

“I’m sorry but I can’t give that information out unless you are family.”

Getting up, Lapis hobbled over there as quickly as she could. “Hey you. The one talking about me. Who are you and how do you know me?”

They turned their head towards her slightly and Lapis saw a small blonde curl peek out moments before they took off as quickly as they could without running. Struggling to catch up, Lapis followed them down to the entrance and realized that she had lost track of the mystery person. Wheezing, she heard the social worker yelling her name.

“Lapis Lazuli! What do you think you were doing?”

Looking around the room for any possible signs of the person, she sighed in defeat and whispered, “Nothing. Now are we ready to leave?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No trigger warnings or flashbacks in this chapter

“Hi Rose,” Pearl waved excitedly.

It had been ages since they had a moment alone together, which had put a huge strain on their relationship. Especially since Rose was an unintentional flirt but she was able to look past that since Greg wasn’t around to bother them as much anymore.

“Hey Pearl,” the pink haired woman sat next to her, causing her dress to spill over a bit into Pearl’s lap, “I’ve missed you beautiful.”

Her words caused Pearl to blush as she managed to stutter, “I’ve missed you too gorgeous.”

Suddenly Rose pulled the tiny blonde into her arms and hugged tightly. In her embrace, Pearl could smell the familiar scent of roses and rain but underneath it, there was also a completely different scent that Rose never wore. It was much heavier and also familiar.

“No it couldn’t be. He is out of town. That’s what she told me earlier. She wouldn’t lie to me again would she?” Shaking her head a bit to clear the thoughts, Pearl told herself, “No. She wouldn’t lie to me. She knows how much it hurt the last time. I’m just being paranoid again.”

“Wanna go see that movie you were telling me about last week,” Rose asked quietly, “I got the money so you don’t have to worry about it. Popcorn, sodas, candy, and even the jalapeno popcorn seasoning that you like so much.”

“But Rose, you know I don’t like having others pay for my stuff,” Pearl protested.

Smiling softly, Rose said, “I know but I want to and I refuse to take no for an answer.”

Sighing, Pearl asked, “What is it that you’re trying to make up for? You never say that you won’t take no for an answer unless you feel guilty about something.”

Messing with her curls, Rose answered, “I really want to make up for all the times that we haven’t really been able to just spend time together. No Garnet, no Greg, just the two of us.”

Deciding to ignore the nagging feeling that she was still hiding something, the blonde smiled a bit and held Rose’s hand, “Just the two of us?”

Beaming at Pearl, Rose nodded and spun her around and into her arms. Melting into her embrace, Pearl blushed and murmured, “Then I would very much like that date as long as I get to help pay for at least one thing.”

“As long as I can pick what that something is, you got yourself a deal beautiful.”

“You’re so bossy sometimes, Rose,” Pearl said jokingly and scrunched up her nose.

Laughing softly, Rose took her by the hand and ran to the closest movie theater. Once inside, they bought their own tickets and Rose bought the food and drinks. Walking down the hall to the theater room, Pearl insisted on carrying everything, literally, and made Rose snort softly when she almost dropped the drinks. Finally they made it to their seats and put everything down. Pearl put her head on Rose’s shoulder as the other wrapped an arm around her and were comfortable. 

The blonde was enjoying the movie and thought the other was as well but when she looked up, Rose was staring blankly at the screen. Sitting up so she wasn’t laying on Rose, Pearl focused on the movie and ignored the urge to cuddle up next to her again. Rose had apparently noticed that she pulled away but made no motion to pull her back to her since she sighed and sat all the way up too. They sat in awkward silence for most of the movie but three quarters of the way through it, Pearl heard the soft chuckle that Rose would do when she was trying to be quiet and not laugh. Thinking that it was her hair since her hair had a mind of it’s own when she was focused on something, she smoothed her hair down but Rose kept chuckling. Looking over at her somewhat annoyed, Pearl’s heart sank when she noticed that somebody else was making funny gestures, causing Rose to laugh. Then she realized who it was when she saw the familiar flash of the many pins on the jacket. Gregory fucking Demayo!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Jasper does punch Rose, accusations of cheating partners, mild language, manipulative partner, a bit of emotional and mental abuse 
> 
> Also if anybody gets curious, the reason why I am able to write is because I have little Gaaras, Tobis, and Kakashis running around my screen that give me the inspiration and desire to write more chapters.

Storming out of the movie theater, Pearl all but ran home. Nearly risking getting ran over for not looking both ways before running across the major intersections but she didn’t care at that point anymore. Once she was inside her house, she rushed upstairs to her room and slammed the door shut. Sobbing quietly, she curled into a ball in front of the door. Through her blurred tears, the blonde noticed that her phone was lighting up indicating that someone was either calling her constantly or texting but she didn’t bother even looking to see who it was. Chances are it was Rose blowing up her phone and that was the last person she wanted to talk to. Steadying her breathing, Pearl got up and went downstairs to where the home phone was at and dialed up an old friend.

“Hello,” came from the other end of the line.

“Jasper,” Pearl whispered shakily, “Can you come over? I need advice and I don’t think I can be alone without doing something stupid.”

“Lemme guess. It is Rose again. And why didn’t you call me from your cell?”

“Yes. It usually is her isn’t it,” Pearl tried to joke, “And um… Plausible deniability for whoever keeps calling or texting me.”

“I will be over in 15 minutes. If she shows up before I do, ignore her and I’ll deal with her personally and ignore your cell. I’m betting it is her spamming your phone.”

With that Jasper hung up, leaving Pearl to her own devices for a little bit. So she started brewing some coffee while waiting for her closest friend to show up. There are very few times where Jasper is on time and even fewer times where she is early so it was a bit of a shock when Jasper was there in 6 minutes. Letting her in, Jasper picked up the tiny blonde and carried her to her room and sat her on the bed and pulled up a bean bag chair for herself. 

“What did she do this time?”

Laughing nervously, Pearl pulled up a body pillow to hug. “You’re not usually so straight to the point.”

“I want to know what she did. Every time you call me sounding like you’re about to break down and cry lately, it is because of her. I know you. You don’t cry very often and you are often too stubborn to ask for anybody for help, advice, or even company. Even when you do need it. Nobody gets away with making you cry. Not as long as I’m still alive anyways.”

“I think she is cheating on me again with Greg,” Pearl whispered, staring at her hands in an attempt to not meet Jasper’s amber gaze.

“That stupid little fucking idiot,” Jasper growled and smacked her knee, “Does she not reali...”

Her rant was cut short by a gasp at the door. Looking up, they both saw the topic of their conversation, Rose. She looked absolutely pissed and was clenching her fist more than Jasper was. Taking a deep breath, she glared accusingly at them both.

“So you think that you can just go behind my back and do the very thing that you’re accusing me of,” Rose asked pointedly.

“What the hell do you think Pearl is doing,” Jasper leaped up and stood between the two as Rose tried to move closer.

“Isn’t it obvious,” Rose asked, “She is accusing me of cheating on her when she knows that I love her with all my heart and wouldn’t ever hurt her like that again. Every time we have a misunderstanding, she comes running to you. Hell at this point I would swear you two have fucked each other a few times.”

Standing up, Pearl swallowed and pointed at Rose. “You. You can get out of my house. If you want to call me the cheater when you are constantly lying to me and cheating on me with Greg, then you need to reevaluate your choices. We are done.”

There was a noticeable change in the pink haired lady’s attitude as she changed tactics. “But Pearl, you I know I love and I haven’t seen Greg since I messed up a while ago. Please don’t leave me. We are meant to be. Don’t let your idiot friend here poison your mind against us and our future.”

With that, Jasper ended up punching Rose in the gut and pulled her closer, whispering something in her ear. Once they were both standing up right again, Rose glared at Jasper but left after saying, “Whatever she will be back and next time she won’t ever have a reason to leave again.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: None that I know of.
> 
> (I woke up early today and thought it was Thursday which is when I usually write the next chapter. Silly me. I need to keep track of what day it is)

Jasper stood at the window, likely watching to make sure that Rose left. Her knuckles where turning white from gripping the windowsill and her taunt muscles made the vitiligo across her arms stand out more. 

“I think she is gone Jassie,” Pearl whispered.

“I think you’re right Taffy,” said Jasper as she turned to accidentally crush Pearl in a hug.

The short blonde managed to wiggle her way out of Jasper’s tight embrace after almost being smothered by her armpit. Laughter rumbled softly through the brute’s chest, making Pearl cover up her mouth to silence the laughter she felt bubbling up in her too. The taller blonde’s eyes lit up as she started rummaging through her pockets.

“Hey Pearl,” she said, still rummaging through her pockets, “Do you still remember how we met?”

“Of course I do,” Pearl stated, a perplexed look crossing her face, “Why do you ask?”

“Well see… They are doing that program again and I grabbed the flier for it. Thought that it would be pretty cool if we joined it again and helped somebody new,” she answered, handing the flier to Pearl.

Looking over it, Pearl smiled softly, “I think that would be perfect. Especially to keep my mind off of… Well you know… Her.”

Scowling at the thought of her, Jasper muttered something under her breath that she couldn’t make out. Apparently, she noticed Pearl’s look, even through her thick mane of white hair that had covered part of her face. Quickly changing her attitude, she hoisted Pearl onto her shoulders.

“Well we can’t fill out the forms sitting around here now can we,” she grinned.

Carefully latching herself to the taller girl, Pearl nodded in agreement, without stopping to realize that Jasper couldn’t see her nodding or even feel it. Mentally slapping herself, Pearl finally answered, “Well I suppose we could try to fill it out here if you don’t get going.”

“I would say that is impossible but knowing you, you’d just be a smart ass and say that is the point.”

“Then lets get going Jassie.”

With Pearl settled comfortably on her head, Jasper walked out of the house and they made their way to where they first met. It was a long walk and it probably would’ve been shorter if Pearl was walking to but her friend had the softest hair and she simply had no motivation to walk on her own. But after a while, they finally saw the two story building come into view.

“Hey I will race you there. Loser buys lunch,” Pearl smirked as she jumped down from the other’s broad shoulders and took off running at full speed.

“No fair,” Jasper yelled after her, “You got a head start and you know I don’t run that fast after carrying you!”

The smaller blonde reached the doors first and stood there panting, waiting for the other to finally show up. Upon her arrival, Pearl smirked and poked Jasper’s nose, “Excuses, excuses, excuses. One of these days you will be able to outrun me but you gotta try.”

The small grumble of annoyance from Jasper was cut short as they both turned their heads towards the door, where they heard their names being called out excitedly.

“Jasper! Pearl,” came from a tall, gentle, old woman that was beckoning them inside.

“Grammy Opal,” Jasper said excitedly, “I didn’t know you still worked here! Like why didn’t you tell me. I would’ve been here a lot sooner and would’ve dragged Pearl along too.”

“My my. You two haven’t really changed at all have you,” said Opal, “You still got that unruly mane of white hair and looks like you’re still working out Jasper. And Pearl, I see you look as graceful and beautiful as usual. But I feel like something is bothering you.”

Looking up into Opal’s green eyes, Pearl could easily see that she was very worried so she hugged the older woman and whispered softly, “I will be alright. Just had a difficult experience very recently but I’m here to take my mind off of it and help someone however I can.”

Scoffing, Jasper added, “It was my idea to come down here and fill out the applications for us to do so.”

Laughing softly, Opal pulled both girls into a hug, “I take it, you mean for the Friend Program? In that case, we actually only have two patients who still need a buddy. I can get you two set up with them and you can fill out the paperwork tomorrow.”

“Sounds awesome Grammy.”

Opal reached behind the desk and pulled out a metal cookie container and held it out to them. Jasper reached in first and grabbed a small slip of paper and held it expectantly waiting for Pearl to do the same. Then it was her turn, she reached in and grabbed the last slip and held it closely, almost like she expected it to fly away. 

Opal took a look at each of their slips of paper and wrote down their room numbers before either of them could get a peek at the paper that they held. Nodding, she smiled and said, “Just from what I know of them, I’m sure you guys will be a great influence on each of them and possibly even better friends after they are discharged at the end of their stay. Now I’m sure you know the way to the rooms so I shouldn’t need to show you there. Come back up here in an hour and I will have the paperwork ready for you to fill out.”

Then she disappeared behind the desk once more to resume her duties, leaving the two to look at the pieces of paper that they had drawn. Jasper raised an eyebrow and looked up at Pearl, who hadn’t looked at her’s yet. 

“I got some chick by the name of Amethyst Mendoza down in room 261. Doesn’t state why she is in here though. Who did you get Pearl?”

Taking a deep breath, Pearl unfolded the paper slowly and read it quietly. “Oh no,” she said softly, “Lapis Lazuli down in room 189.”

“Lazuli? Haven’t I heard that last name before,” Jasper inquired.

Swallowing, Pearl stuttered, “Yes. She was my first crush and she is the one I pulled out of traffic a few days ago.”

“Are you ready to see her,” Jasper asked, “If you don’t want to see her, we can always switch people.”

Fidgeting, Pearl looked back and forth between Jasper and the piece of paper. Swallowing again, Pearl tightened her grip on the tiny slip of paper to steel herself. “No I think I can handle this. She may be a pain in the ass part of the time but she use to be a really good friend of mine. Besides, with the name of Amethyst, your person already sounds like more than I could ever deal with at any one given time,” Pearl smiled weakly at her lame attempt to lighten the mood.

Jasper stared at her for a bit before letting out a small sigh, “Okay but if she gets around to being too much for you, just let me know so we can figure out what to do together.”

“Deal,” Pearl said a bit more confidently, turning to the far end of the building, “See you in an hour?”

“You can bet on it,” Jasper answered, turning to the stairwell.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Weed, Malachite does threaten Lapis physically
> 
> If a section is surrounded by an asterisk (*) then it is a flashback

The wall was quickly becoming one of her closest friends, which wasn’t really much of an achievement. After all she ended up pushing almost everybody away and made them hate her but even that thought didn’t bother her. She was fine with the wall being her friend. It didn’t push for answers, it was fine not even talking. The wall in front of her couldn’t lie to her, couldn’t make her remember, couldn’t ask why she was crying. It couldn’t do anything but watch her in silence. For that she was grateful as she was in fact slowly breaking down from the weight of her memories.

*“Hey Lapis,” Malachite said as he turned over onto his back and pulled something out of his pocket, “Here. Smoke some of this. You’ve been really stressed and troublesome and this will help you relax.”

She stared in shock, “Weed?! You want me to smoke weed?! What kind of idiot do you think I am?"

Shrugging, the blonde shoved the blunt in her face, “Yes. Like I said, you’ve been really troublesome and I can’t be seen with you if you’re gonna keep it up. And if you’re worried about your dad finding out, you and I already know he is out of town for the week. You’ll get over the high before he even gets ready to come back into town.”

“No,” Lapis firmly stated, meeting his eyes with her own.

She felt herself swallow nervously as his eyes darkened with rage. He quickly stood up and took a step towards her. With each step he took, the blue haired girl scooted back, hoping he would calm down. Eventually he backed her into a corner. Raising his fist, Malachite snarled, “Smoke it or you won’t be able to walk properly until your dad gets back.”

Knowing what would happen if she refused him again, she held out her hand, “Okay,” she stuttered, “I… I will smoke with you. Just don’t hurt me.”

Smiling warmly, the blonde passed her the blunt and lit it, “Good girl. You know how much I hate having to hurt you,” he said as he plopped down next to her. Taking it, Lapis attempted to calm herself and took a deep puff. Big mistake. Not two seconds later, her eyes watered as she started coughing. Smirking, Malachite took it from her and did the same thing but without all the coughing and eye watering.*

Suddenly Lapis’ attention was diverted from her memories as a soft knock sounded from the other side of her door. Wiping away the tears that she hadn’t noticed until then, she attempted to make herself look presentable so she wouldn’t be bombarded by fifty billion questions from a nurse making their rounds.

“Come in.”

Lapis squashed down her emotions as she silently watched the doorknob turn slowly. A few seconds later, she realized that her visitor wasn’t in fact one of the nurses or even anybody that she recognized from the group sessions. After all, there wasn’t a single person there who had strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, and a ballet dancer’s body. Narrowing her eyes, Lapis asked, “Who are you and what do you want?”

“Nothing… Well technically that is a lie. I uh…. There is a program here called the Friend Program and I’m here to be your buddy,” Pearl stated, fidgeting in the doorway. 

“Great,” Lapis rolled her eyes, “Another person who thinks I need their pity. Well why don’t you save your breath and just leave? I literally don’t want a “buddy” and I damn sure don’t want your pity.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Literally none. Enjoy the beginnings of friendship fluff

The blonde’s face lit up with frustration. Taking a step forward, she took a deep breath to collect herself. “Look, I’m not here to give you pity. I’m not here to belittle you about your choices. I’m here so you don’t have to go to group therapy all the damn time, being forced to talk to the old man who in all actuality, has no fucking idea what it feels like to walk these rooms and deal with demons you wish would just die and leave you alone. I’m here to listen and possibly be a friend to you.”

Staring in shock, Lapis didn’t know what to do or say. It was an unusual experience for her. She almost always had a comeback for literally everything. Looking down at her feet, she thought to herself, “Why did I just do that? I sound just like… him...”

Looking back up, she could see that her visitor was still clearly frustrated with her previous actions. “I uh…. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions about you and your possible motives. I’m just so use to people either pitying me or trying to manipulate me. I won’t lie and say I trust you but I’m willing to give this a shot.”

They stood in awkward silence for several minutes as they both forced themselves to calm down. Lapis hobbled over to her bed and sat down as the other grabbed a chair from outside of the room and also sat down. The blonde was hunched over and twiddling her thumbs, seemingly lost in though but just when the blue haired girl was about to say something to finally break the silence, she held up her index finger to silence her.

“It is fine. I mean it isn’t fine actually but I remember doing the same thing you did when this program was started so I’m in no position to actually judge you for it. However, you should learn to not automatically assume what a person is like when you first see them. People have gotten hurt for a lot less in this world,” she stated, “So lets start over since I’m pretty sure that I misspoke earlier and helped cause this mess. I’m Pearl and until you leave West Hills, I will be your buddy.”

Staring at the wall, Lapis realized that the name sounded familiar but she couldn’t quite place it. “You’re right. I will try to work on that. Anyways, you already know my name but you should know now that I’m a pretty shitty conversationalist.”

“That is fine. I’m actually not really any better with conversations when meeting new people.”

They drifted off into silence once again, with only the gentle ticking of the clock above the door filling the room. “So you’ve been here before,” Lapis asked, suddenly curious.

“Yep. One year and three days ago,” she answered, glancing around the room.

“That is oddly specific,” Lapis noted, “I’m surprised that you can remember the exact length of time since you were last here.”

“Well unfortunately for me, I have a bad habit of not being able to forget things and my best friend has thrown me little celebrations for every week that I didn’t get myself admitted back here.”

“They sound pretty cool for that.”

“Yeah she is but don’t tell her that. Her ego might get bigger,” Pearl laughed softly, “And I don’t want to deal with her being insufferably cocky again.”

Snorting, Lapis responded, “Well now that you’ve told me what not to do, I’m gonna do it if I ever do meet your best friend.”

Blinking in surprise and chuckling to herself, Pearl said, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Watch me.”

Glancing up at the clock after a while of them talking, Pearl stood up. “I gotta go. I have paperwork to fill out and my best friend might come in and throttle someone if I’m late.”

“Oh… Well it was nice talking to you,” Lapis said, “I’m still sorry about earlier though.”

“It is fine,” she said as she walked towards the door, “Want me to rescue you from Saturday morning group?”

Suddenly Lapis’ eyes widened, “Oh my freaking lordy, yes. Please do so. I literally can’t stand the old guy.”

Pearl laughed again and paused at the door, “Okay I will be back on Saturday before 9 to rescue you.” With that she walked out the door, leaving Lapis alone to think.

She is pretty cool. Much nicer than I thought she would be. I still get the feeling that I have heard her name before, Lapis thought, somewhat scowling at the wall while trying to place Pearl’s name somewhere in her past. After a while, she shrugged and laid down and decided to wait until it was time for her to go to the cafeteria for dinner.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: None. Just mostly a chapter where you get to see how Jasper and Pearl became friends.  
> Again if a section is surrounded by asterisks (*) than it is a flashback

“So how was it seeing Lapis again, Pearl?”

Looking up from the clipboard she was holding, Pearl smiled a bit when she met Jasper’s worried amber gaze. “It started off kinda badly. She started yelling that she didn’t want a buddy and definitely not anybody’s pity but I managed to get her to stop when I kinda blew up.”

“Well well…. Sounds a lot like what you did when I first met you,” she snorted.

“That’s what I told her,” Pearl replied, finishing filling out the paperwork.

“Good cuz it is true.”

*The small blonde had fascinated her since she first laid eyes on her. Everything about her physical appearance screamed bad girl but there were rare moments where Jasper could see sadness and regret in her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that someone was trying to get her attention. So she snapped her attention towards them. 

“You ready to finally leave this place, Jasper,” Opal asked.

“Since the moment I set foot in here Grammy.”

“Good. I don’t want to see you back in here again. Keep your temper in check and live your life.”

Looking around the room, looking for the blonde again, Jasper said, “Actually, I have an idea I think could really work for the people here. It would involve me coming back but not as a patient. You know how the schools sometimes pair up new students with one that has been there a while to show them around and help them get settled in. I want to do that but only as a way to help them open up. I know how hard it is to open up to old man Rick.”

Looking deep in thought, Opal replied, “I think that could work. Especially for the stubborn ones. It is definitely worth a shot.”

“Okay but the “buddy” isn’t allowed to tell you what goes on unless it could endanger themselves or the patient.”

Frowning, the old lady said, “I doubt Rick would let that happen but I can definitely see what you’re getting at. They need someone that they can trust. If you think it could work, I can go ahead and set you up with one of them to see if it would work.”

“Actually, I know exactly who I’d like to try this out with. You know the small blonde that is almost always wearing her jacket and gives off that bad girl vibe?”

“Do you mean Pearl? She is a stubborn little nut and may not take kindly to your actions.”

“If it will work on her, it should work on the others then.”

Nodding in agreement, Opal left to find Pearl after motioning Jasper into an empty waiting room. After about 15 minutes, she returned with the smaller blonde. “Okay so I will leave to let you get acquainted with each other.”

The door shut behind her and they sat in silence while Pearl glared at the taller girl. “What do you want?”

“To be friends.”

“I don’t need friends. So stop wasting your time and fuck off,” she growled, standing up to leave, “I don’t need your pity. I don’t need friends. I don’t need anything from you or anybody else. It won’t be much longer until I leave this place again anyways.”

“That’s where your wrong kiddo. You ain’t getting my pity. I can already tell that you’re strong and that you don’t need it. You may think that you don’t need friends but it is human nature to crave human interaction. You’ll just keep coming back here if you continue trying to shut everybody off. Is that what you really want,” Jasper asked quietly, “I can see your strength. I can see how determined you are to piss everybody off in order to keep them away from you. But you won’t be chasing me off. Not when I can see all that and the rare moments when you let the sadness in your eyes show.”

“Stand up,” the blonde said softly.

Obliging, Jasper stood up and faced Pearl. She could see that the smaller girl was searching for something, something in her face or eyes perhaps. After several moments, she spoke, “What is your name?”

“Jasper.”

“Well then Jasper. If you’re so certain that I can’t chase you off, then I’m willing to give this a shot as long as it stays between us only because you are right, I’m not as strong as people think. I’m honestly surprised that you could see it though. I thought I hid it well enough,” Pearl said weakly.

An hour later, Opal poked her head back in the door, “Hey, you two getting along?”

“Yeah,” they answered at the same time.

“Well good. I’m glad to hear that. Anyways Jasper, I think it is time for us to go home. I finished the discharge papers and stalled for as long as I can.”

Standing up to leave, Jasper turned back around to Pearl, “Want me to visit again soon? Like maybe Saturday, during the group therapy?”

Seeing her nod, Jasper smiled and said, “M’kay see ya then nerd.”*

“Are you gonna hold that over my head for the rest of our lives,” Pearl sighed, sounding a bit exasperated.

“No I’m just saying I can see why you guys were best friends,” Jasper teased, “And why you use to have a crush on her. Can’t wait to meet her.”

“Oh gawd,” Pearl said, “Anyways, how was your meeting with Amethyst?”

“Well she didn’t react the same way that Lapis did. She seemed really bored and grateful for the company. Though I doubt she will ever admit it. Apparently she is here for breaking some people’s noses and constantly losing her temper.”

“Now she sounds like a younger you,” Pearl teased.

“I suppose she is. I mean she is actually younger than me. But still she is pretty damn cool.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: None. Just more friendship fluff between Lapis and Pearl. Next chapter will be more emotionally darker though

It has been two days since Lapis had last seen Pearl. Those two days were enough to drive her nuts for some reason and she still hadn’t figured out why her name sounded so familiar. On top of that, her leg itched like crazy under her cast and there was literally nothing she could do about it for five more weeks. Nobody really bothered her about going to group therapy. As a matter of fact, the only other visitor she had since Pearl left was an old nurse by the name of Opal. She only checked up on Lapis in depth to make sure that she felt comfortable with her new buddy. Other than that, she only saw her every few hours while all the nurses were doing their room checks. 

Well it was Saturday so Pearl should be coming if nothing came up and if she wasn’t joking the last time she saw her. She rolled onto her side and looked up at the clock, 11:47 AM. In another thirteen minutes she would have to join group if the blonde wasn’t here before then. Hearing the crack of her door opening, Lapis sat up slowly as she saw the familiar strawberry blonde poke her head in.

“Heya Lapis,” she smiled, “Did I interrupt something?”

“Nah I was just waiting for you to show up,” Lapis rolled her eyes before smiling softly.

“Well I woulda been here sooner but Jasper insisted that we bring you and Amethyst something from outside,” she said while reaching into her jacket, pulling out a bag, “So since I know the food here sucks and there is absolutely nothing unhealthy on the menu, I brought a Pepsi, some candy, and a bag of Doritos.”

Lapis squealed as she was tossed the bag, “How did you know that I liked these?”

Pearl simply shrugged and sat down on the floor, “I gotta take the stuff with me when I go so that they don’t catch you with it.”

“Thanks Pearl,” she said, before stuffing her face, “It tastes sooooo good.”

Smirking a bit, she laid down and put her feet up on Lapis’ bed. They sat in comfortable near silence as she inhaled all the food. Drinking part of her soda, Lapis burped out loud, causing Pearl to raise an eyebrow.

“I give that burp an 8,” she said, breaking what was left of the silence.

“Nope that was totally a 9,” Lapis retorted.

“No. Definitely an 8. I can do one better without trying,” Pearl said playfully.

“I’d like to see you try,” she narrowed her eyes.

“Perhaps another time.”

I’m holding you to it now,” Lapis said, poking Pearl’s foot. The blonde smiled and rolled her eyes. 

A knock came on the door, swiftly being opened by one of the nurses that Lapis wasn’t familiar with. “Lapis Lazuli, it is time for grou….” she stopped midsentance as her eyes brightened, “Oh hello Pearl. Fancy seeing you here. I take it you came back for the Buddy Program?”

“Yes I am Sapphire so Lapis doesn’t need to go see old man Rick.”

“Well you two stay out of trouble,” she said, looking over at Lapis, she laughed and added, “Whatever hair brained idea or plan this one comes up with, say no. It usually leads to trouble. Especially if Jasper is involved.”

Looking over at Pearl, Lapis joked, “I didn’t peg you as the trouble making type.”

Pearl scrunched up her face, trying to look cross with them both, “It was only like one prank that I planned Sapphire and it got you to talk to Ruby.” She barely got the sentence out before she was reduced down to a puddle of laughter. Apparently Sapphire snuck over and started tickling her.

After a few seconds, she went back to the door, “If she gets one of her crazy ideas, just tickle her. It always works Lazuli.” Then she left.

Looking back at Pearl, she raised an eyebrow, “So are you going to tell me about this prank of yours and how it got you in trouble?”

“Aye fine but only because it was a morally good one and a pretty well thought out one as well,” Pearl said, rolling onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. “So back when I was still here as a patient, I was an asshole. To literally everybody. Very few could stand to talk to me. Jasper, my best friend, and Sapphire were the only ones who hadn’t given up on me.”

She paused as Lapis pulled her pillow between her and the wall to get more comfortable. Looking over at her, “Don’t stop just because I’m moving around a bit,” Lapis whispered.

She heard a slight hmph sound from Pearl before picking back up with her story. “Jasper was the first to get me to open up and after a while Sapphire noticed a small change in my behavior. So she started talking to me. It took a while but we got to know each other well enough that one day, she mentioned that she had a really big crush on this lady named Ruby, who she regularly gets her coffee from. The only issue with this crush of hers was that she didn’t know how to talk to her without blushing like an idiot and stuttering. So when I got out, I made sure that I had a way to get a hold of her and one day I decided we were gonna go to that coffee place. I sent Jasper on ahead with some roses and a fully loaded water gun. Luckily Ruby was working that day so as soon as Sapphire walked in, I had Jasper throw rose petals all around her all the way up to the counter and I shit you not, as soon as she got up there not only was she bright red but Jasper had decided to pull the water gun thing earlier than planned. She was soaked from head to toe and furious with us both so she started chasing us outside while Ruby chased after her. It literally took her twenty minutes to calm down and right then and there I pulled her up towards Ruby and said “Hey have you met Sapphire?” and left. Apparently then they started talking and now they’re dating. However neither one of them will let me live it down.”

Staring in shock, Lapis muttered, “I can see why. That was a bit cruel but I’m happy that they got to talk,” looking down at Pearl, she added, “That is literally the world’s most perfect and cruel prank with good intentions that I’ve ever heard of.”

“Glad you think so,” she smirked. Looking up at the clock, she sighed, “Well my hour is up. So I gotta go. See ya Monday?”

“Monday sounds awesome,” Lapis answered. 

“Good cuz you’re gonna be telling me about yourself.”

Groaning, the blue haired girl stretched, “Fine whatever but not without more junk food.”

“You brat,” Pearl laughed and walked out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: None
> 
> Sorry about taking so long to update. I ended up with writer's block and then started my first job (it has weird hours sometimes). Also yes. There is a time skip between this chapter and the previous one.

“No touching anyone, no sharing phone numbers, last names, social media, schools, no swearing, no shoes, but you have to wear socks, no pants with drawstrings, no jackets with drawstrings, no drawstrings period, no jewelry, no food in rooms, no passing notes, no flirting…”, pausing in the middle of her thoughts, Lapis snorted and whispered, “Well I’ve broke the no food rule a few billion times in the last 3 weeks.”

Staring up at the clock, Lapis patiently waited for noon so she could be discharged. However seven minutes was a long time to wait, seeing how she already waited for three weeks. So she got up and started pacing the room. “Gotta stay out of here from now on. I will get better but never in a place like this. Pearl proved that to me.” The blue haired girl didn’t realize that it was past twelve o’clock until she heard a small knock at her door that startled her out of her thoughts as Sapphire poked her head inside.

“You ready to leave Lapis Lazuli?”

“I have been since the day I got here,” Lapis answered.

“Good because your dad is here,” Sapphire smiled, passing her a bag, “And there is the clothes that you were wearing when you got here.”

Taking the bag, Lapis smiled a bit. “Thank you Sapphire. I know I was an ass in the beginning and I’m not use to people trying to help me but I wanted you to know that I’m not stupid and know what you’ve done for me.”

“You’re welcome Lazuli,” she paused, looking at the floor, “Just please don’t ever come back as a patient. Whatever sent you here all those times, don’t let it control you again. I’m not stupid either. I know you never actually told the truth as to what sent you here.”

Stuttering, Lapis asked, “How?”

“You and Pearl are a lot alike. She once told me that she never actually told anybody why she tried committing suicide and you have the same look. I can see hope in your eyes. However faint it is right now. But I can see that there is something haunting you still. I won’t bother you about it unless you come back.”

“I… I can only try,” Lapis whispered softly.

“Well I suppose that will be a sufficient answer for now. Just know you aren’t alone. Opal, Pearl, your dad, and myself are here for you. Oh and by the way, Pearl is out in the lobby with your dad.”

Lapis couldn’t help herself. She was excited to see her dad and all but tripped over her pants on the way to the door. Running down the hallway, she suddenly stopped halfway there as a feeling of nervousness and dread washed over her.

“You’re Lapis’ friend?”

“Yes sir. My name is Pearl.”

“She has spoken about you a lot since you two met. It is rare that I’ve seen her smile that much since…. Well that is for her to decide if she want you to know. Just…. Thank you for making my baby girl smile and help her when I couldn’t.”

She turned the corner just in time to see her dad pull Pearl into a hug. Seeing her struggle to breath a bit made the corners of Lapis’ mouth twitch into a small smile once more. 

“Do I not get to join in the hug fest,” she asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

As soon as the words left her mouth, her dad let go of Pearl and pulled her into a tighter than normal hug. Hugging back, she could feel the tears threatening to spill but she refused to cry. Not while she was suppose to be happy. 

After the hug ended, Lapis turned to the blonde, “You. You actually came?”

“Well of course I came. You’re my friend and I wanted to see you get to leave this place,” Pearl muttered, obviously thinking that she wasn’t welcome.

“Hey you weren’t suppose to take that the wrong way. I’m…” she trailed off, “I’m not use to people staying or trying to be my friend. I’m happy you’re here Pearlie.”

Blinking in shock, Pearl pulled up her sleeve and closed her fist loosely, “What did you call me you little brat?”

“Pearlie. Would you prefer Pearlie pie instead,” Lapis asked, smirking.

“You’re just as bad as Jasper, you know that,” Pearl said, laughing.

“The famous Jasper that I have yet to meet, you mean?”

“The ever infamous, pain in my neck Jasper that you’re gonna meet soon. But seriously, Pearlie? And to think I brought you a gift,” she sulked playfully.

“Food,” Lapis asked, watching Pearl bring out a bag.

“Nope,” she answered, taking out a leather jacket and tossed it to her.

Grumbling softly as the jacket hit her in the face, she growled, “You know I can’t catch.”

“I know but I promise you’ll forgive me after you see the jacket.”

Picking it off her face, Lapis carefully examined it. The front was pretty plain. All it had on it was a stitched on name tag that read, “My name is Bob” and had the Libra zodiac sign patch on the left shoulder. Turning it over, her eyes got big as she traced the water Phoenix design on the back. She snapped out of her initial shock when she saw the word “Totally” stitched above the bird. 

Snorting, Lapis said, “This is absolutely gorgeous but did you have to put my catch phrase and your nickname for me on it?

Smirking, Pearl narrowed her eyes, “Totally.”

Before Lapis could chase her around the room, she felt her dad wrap an arm around her and picked her up. “Thanks Pearl but we have to go. She has a room to clean. Do you two have a way to stay in contact and meet up afterwards sometime?”

Simultaneously they shook their heads no. Sighing softly with a twinkle in his eyes, he asked, “Well are you two going to exchange numbers or do I have to teach you two how to make friends and keep them?”

Whipping out a pen, Pearl wrote her number on Lapis’ hand. “There is my number. Text me when you get the chance and make sure you let me know it is you. Otherwise I might just ignore it.”

“Okay. Will do then blondie,” Lapis called out as she was hauled outside to the car.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Violence
> 
> Also if it doesn't become obvious soon, I have a headcannon for Rose and it makes me hate the living daylights out of Pearlrose

“Get out. Just get the fuck out,” Rose screamed repeatedly, “I don’t want to see your useless face anywhere near me.”

Puzzled as to what she did this time, Pearl stood her ground, “What did I do this time?”

“I see the way that you watch Blue and Yellow Pearl. Hell I’ve even seen the way you watch Garnet, stupid little slut.”

“Rose you know I only have eyes for you.”

“Bull fucking shit,” Rose screamed, throwing a vase at her.

With the slam of the door, Pearl was out of Rose’s presence before things could continue to escalate. Walking home in the snowy weather, Pearl’s fingers shook as she started to text her girlfriend.

‘I swear you’re the only one for me. I wouldn’t cheat on you.”

Before she could hit send, Jasper called. She let it go to voicemail but her best friend wouldn’t be satisfied with that. She kept calling every time she was sent to voicemail, making it impossible to send that text. Fed up with the insistent calling, Pearl finally answered.

“What did she do this time,” Jasper asked.

Even through the phone, Pearl could feel the quiet rage seeping from her. Mumbling, she said, “She might have thrown a vase at me after saying that I was the one cheating….”

There was a moment of silence on the other end. Then she heard Jasper whisper, “Are you close to Peridot’s house?”

Looking up at the street sign, Pearl sighed softly, “Yeah. Why?”

“I better see you there shortly. Otherwise, I will be calling the cops. Or I’ll will jump the middleman and knock some fucking sense into her myself. I haven’t yet decided but I doubt anybody wants me to be doing something stupid.”

Within ten minutes, Pearl was standing in front of a small house that looked a bit run down. Opening the gate slowly, she saw the front door fly open. She half expected it to be Jasper but instead it was a smaller blonde with a terrible case of bedhead and awkward looking glasses perched on her nose. 

“Are you trying to get sick Pearl,” Peridot yelled, running out to hand Pearl a blanket and dragged her inside.

Jasper was sprawled out on the floor, grumbling about her homework. But as soon as she saw Pearl, she jumped up and started examining her. 

“Are you alright? Did she hurt you in anyway? Please tell me that you guys are finally through,” Jasper spoke quickly, nearly not making any sense with as fast as she was talking.

“I’m fine. I dodged the vase,” Pearl whispered, pulling the blanket back around her and laid down. 

She heard a small shriek of shock, presumably from Peridot, but she couldn’t find any words to attempt to calm her. Apparently, at some point after getting inside, Pearl had started crying and was already starting to choke on her tears. Then she felt a small pair of arms wrap around her awkwardly.

“You deserve better Pearl,” she heard Peridot say softly, “Nobody deserves to be crying over their partner like you are right now. And for sure, nobody should ever come close to physical violence because of their partner.”

A few moments of near silence followed before anybody spoke again. 

“She’s right. You deserve better. Rose will never see your value nor will she ever treat you right,” Jasper said as she wrapped her arms around Pearl as well, “Everybody thought you guys were perfect but it was just an act. I should’ve seen it sooner. I should’ve been there. Please don’t go back to her. I can keep her away. Even if I have to ask Garnet to help. But I don’t want you to go through this again.”

Nearly an hour later, Pearl finally calmed down and dozed off a bit. Leaving Peridot to continue helping Jasper with her homework.

“You better move out of my way,” a voice shouted from the yard.

Jasper and Peridot jumped up and looked out the window. They saw the familiar pink ruffled dress of Rose and Garnet’s signature Afro. Garnet was standing in the gateway to the yard, blocking Rose’s entry. After a few seconds of what appeared to be Garnet refusing to move, Rose moved to punch her. 

In a flash, Jasper was downstairs. Followed by Peridot and Pearl, who was forced awake from all the commotion. Rose was already through the door, making it obvious that her entry was halted by Garnet’s presence. Scanning the room, Rose’s eyes landed on Pearl.

“I’m so sorry baby. I don’t know what I was thinking. I shouldn’t have ever tried to hurt you. It won’t happen ever again, I promise,” Rose said, with a look of longing in her eyes.

Taking a step back, Pearl swallowed.“No. I can’t keep doing this. I don’t deserve all the heartache you put me through,” she continued, standing on shaky legs and her heart in her throat, “You tried to physically hurt me. You meant to do it. We’re over. Now leave.”

Growling, the older woman narrowed her eyes and lunged, “Nobody ever tells me ‘no’ and I’m not about to let some worthless brat start now.”

Pearl jumped awake, a scream dying in the empty air. She felt sweat drip down her face as her ragged breathing filled the air and saw a body in the corner chair jump at the sound of her screaming. A flash of ginger was seen as that body moved closer to her slowly.

“Pearl, it is alright. Rose isn’t here,” the ginger said soothingly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

She locked eyes with the other person as she slowly started recognizing them. The familiar oblong face and sharp amber eyes, the small lithe body that was similar to her own, and the awkwardness in which she sat on Pearl’s bed told her that it was her cousin, Yellow Pearl. As she started calming down more, Yellow Pearl scooted closer and hugged her.

“You’re alright. None of us will let her bother you again,” she continued as Pearl pulled her closer, starting to doze back off again.

Through half closed eyes and a foggy brain, Pearl whispered, “I’m sorry I’m constantly bothering you guys but thank you. Thank you for being here.”

“You aren’t bothering us little Pearl,” Yellow Pearl responded, “We want to make sure you’re alright and if that means that one of us has to be here every night, then we will be here every night.”


End file.
